On February 1st, JTB Corporation newly established the "IR/Expo Promotion Office" within the Regional Solutions Division of the Tourism Business Headquarters. A revival of inbound demand is expected for the 2025 Kansai Expo and the subsequent Yumeshima IR. Mr. Kitamura, Executive Officer, will be in charge of Osaka IR promotion and Osaka/Kansai Expo promotion, and Mr. Moriguchi will be in charge of IR/Expo promotion.

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLRSP626146_R30C22A1000000/

Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas is planning to develop an IR in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). A resort hotel with a casino is scheduled to open in 2026 on Almarjan Island, a luxury beach resort in Ras Al Khaimah. Toward that end, it is expected that the movement to lift the ban on casinos will accelerate in the UAE as well.
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and casinos are prohibited under Islamic law. Government-sanctioned horse racing is permitted only in Dubai, the economic city of the UAE. Las Vegas Caesars has also been operating a casino-free Caesars Palace in Dubai since 2018.

*Casinos have been banned in the Islamic UAE. The IGS seminar also provides a detailed explanation of the history of the casino.

https://jp.reuters.com/article/emirates-economy-wynn-idJPKBN2K00A3

Japan has also been considering lifting the ban on sports betting for several years, with the aim of relieving the sports industry, which has fallen into a slump due to the coronavirus, and securing financial resources. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and private companies are already preparing to create a framework for sports betting. In December 2020, the toto law will be revised, and from 2022, the basketball B league will be added to the toto lottery. In the future, other sports may be added to toto's target, and the day may come when the ban on sports betting will be lifted.

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220120/k00/00m/020/153000c

Wakayama City's "Wakayama Citizen's Association to Ask Pros and Cons of Attracting a Casino" had called for a referendum on the pros and cons of an IR bid. To hold a referendum, an ordinance must be enacted, which must be passed by the city council. Wakayama City will hold a mayoral election in August this year.

At the IGS seminar, we will also explain in detail the mechanism of Japanese IR.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ1K5QZVQ1JPXLB00H.html 

Las Vegas Cezars Entertainment has been added to the IR consortium in Wakayama City, and a new IR project draft has been announced. You can see the signboard of "CAESARS" at the IR facility "The PACIFIC" that will be built in Wakayama Marina City, which juts out into the sea. Poker fans will also be interested in the entry of Cezars, which hosts the world-famous WSOP poker event, into Japan. With these business plans, Wakayama Prefecture will apply for the national zone certification examination by April.

*Details of Wakayama's IR business plan and the performance of Cezars in the US will be explained at the IGS seminar.

https://www.sankei.com/article/20220113-CXXSCT6BEBKYZMEMASSILDVB3I/

The extension cost of the Osaka Metro Chuo Line to Yumeshima, which is also the IR site and the Expo venue, and the new station construction cost will increase by 12.9 billion yen. The breakdown is 4 billion yen for the construction of soft ground, 5.6 billion yen for explosion-proof measures and obstacle removal, and 3.3 billion yen for the development of the new Yumeshima Station, for a total project cost of 66.9 billion yen. The Osaka prefectural government recently announced that it will contribute about 80 billion yen to the Yumeshima area for soil contamination countermeasures.

* At the Kansai Expo, the total amount increased by 60 billion yen to 185 billion yen. We explain the process at the IGS seminar.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ1C76YNQ1CPTIL01H.html

 

In response to the cancellation of the Yokohama Yamashita Pier IR plan, the city of Yokohama is soliciting new alternative business plans from the general public. In the bay area, there is "Minato Mirai 21 Central District 20", and as a MICE and hotel complex project of Yokohama City's global MICE strategic city, luxury hotels such as Pacifico Yokohama North, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, and Baycourt Yokohama have just opened in 2020.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among experts in the prefecture before the Nagasaki gubernatorial election next month. Especially in Sasebo City, 64% are in favor of an IR. Voting and counting for the gubernatorial election will take place next month, but so far none of the three candidates are strongly opposed to IR.

*Nagasaki prefecture's IR business plan will also be explained in detail at the IGS seminar.

https://www.nagasaki-np.co.jp/kijis/?kijiid=853084502235693056

Wakayama City's Wakayama Citizen's Association for Pros and Cons of Attracting Casinos gathered 20,000 signatures and submitted a petition asking the city to enact an ordinance to hold a referendum on whether to approve or disapprove of an IR. The city will hold deliberations by the 27th of this month. A year ago, in Yokohama, a similar request was made by a civic group asking whether a referendum should be held, but the request was rejected by the city council. Oddly enough, the Wakayama mayoral election will be held in August this year.

In addition, Wakayama has already signed a contract with a Canadian IR operator and plans to apply for a national zone certification review by April this year.

*Wakayama's IR business plan is also explained in detail at the IGS seminar.

Information sessions for residents of the Osaka IR Promotion Bureau will be held as needed from the 7th of this month. It will be held 11 times in various places by the prefectural and city councils in March. The schedule and how to apply are as follows.